After big attendance drop, Bonnaroo at a crossroads

MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) — The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee is at a crossroads as organizers deal with last year's plummeting ticket sales while engaging in talks to extend their agreement with Coffee County.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2rCiNVC ) the festival's current deal to pay Coffee County $30,000 plus $3 per ticket sold is set to expire after this year's festival. Ticket sales at the festival fell by 28,000 in 2016, reaching an all-time low of 45,553.

Ashley Capps, whose company AC Entertainment co-founded the festival, contends the festival landscape has become more competitive, but says ticket sales are up this year.

Paul Fischer, a music business professor at Middle Tennessee State University, says Bonnaroo has booked a good lineup this year with bands appealing to younger fans.